PAltALYSIS OF THE PERIPHERAL NERVES 453 



Saliva is usually profuse and flows from the open mouth. 

 Attempts at eating and drinking fail. Food is swallowed 

 when placed hack in the mouth. 



Diagnosis. The only difficulty in diagnosis is to determine 

 the cause of the paralysis. The symptoms are so charac- 

 teristic that the actual condition is easily recognized. A 

 differential diagnosis should be made to determine whether 

 or not the animal is affected with rabies. The general con- 

 dition of the animal, disturbance in swallowing, change of 

 voice and paralysis in the posterior part of the body in 

 rabies are indicative. 



Prognosis. Should the condition result from trauma then 

 the prognosis is considered favorable, otherwise unfavorable. 



Treatment. If the paralysis is the result of rabies no 

 treatment should be attempted. In cases due to other 

 causes, give nourishing food (milk, chopped meat). This 

 is best done either by placing the food well back into the 

 mouth, or by the use of a stomach-tube. Massage the 

 muscles thoroughly, using at the same time a stimulating 

 liniment (soap liniment). Electricity may also be tried, 

 (live internally tincture nux vomica (0.3-0.7) or strych- 

 nin sulphate (0.001) daily. Spasms of the muscles supplied 

 by the trigeminal nerve are observed in tetanus and in some 

 cases of the nervous form of distemper. The muscles 

 are either rigid as in tetanus, or contracting and relaxing 

 rapidly as in some cases of distemper. Nerve sedatives 

 should be used to control the spasms. Tetanus antitoxin 

 and distemper serum respectively may be employed, depend- 

 ing on the condition present. 



Auditory Nerve. Etiology. The true nerve of hearing 

 (cochlear nerve) is not frequently paralyzed. However, it 

 may be paralyzed from a congenital defect or inflammatory 

 changes within the internal ear, or from diseases affecting 

 the medulla oblongata. Paralysis of the vestibular nerve is 

 very commonly observed in dogs, rabbits, fowls and pigeons. 

 In practically all cases, however, it is the result of inflam- 

 matory changes within the middle and inner ear. These 

 changes may result from chicken pest, cholera, epitheliosis, 

 contagious rhinitis (rabbit), or distemper. Causes of 



